Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-12-29
An Early Morning Adventure.

Weaving ana WreatnlhS the Ielthery snow.
--.n"y T.. paHLyHe
An Early Morning Adventure.
About three years ago two young
men, w ,lIer Eobb rs AMI ohm Ben
net, op rItives in II Lynn shoe factory
lind NJ thrm,el es unable to save up
much money By their work. and DIES
pairing of CITING abe I'd much at the
east, turne all tuer pO>s 'SsiOn5 into
cash, went out to lyon ng territory
and embarked in the bus ness of sheep
farming. ""ney located ON one of the
tributary creeks OF the Nor h Platte
RIVER ut the foot of he mountains.
Very early one mOrninE, not long
ago, they $ aughered fat sheep aud
hung it uP to the NIB of pine tree. a
few yards away from the door of the +
shack, or slab Duse Then while
Robb ms dres cd tie sheep. emmett
pro eeded TO get break tat, and Fl ell
mess of the re III Sleeps liver
Breakfa eng ready about the time
that Robbins finished his task, his part
ner called him in, and theI lat down at
a ia IL ms de to eat While they were
thus agreeaby Ccrpied, thy were
suddenly disturbed by the cracking OF
the pine boughS, and heard II thud, rs
Of some he IVY body falling o the earth.
They rose hastily from the table and
stepped o the door. and were aston sh-
ed by the ght Of Il large tawny coIored
animal. making off with their mutt N,
1t was a mOunta II lion which had
20 C boldly up to the SHACK wnile the,
were eating, and leaping among the
branches " here the carcass hung, had
roken the q. down and secured the en-
ire sheep!
After one hasty glance, they both
surne to sn trh down Their Nv inches
GERS, and Robbins, g"t ug out little
ahead fired several shots at he creature
IS it lopcd oil up the narrow val ey OF
:he creek But the act We movements
Of the animal, notwi h>Iand ng the
weight of mutton t was crrying, pc
Ned him fro II grtt ng good al y,
and he failed TO touch the creature
The lion kept its course up the canon
for several hund ed yards, aud then
disappraie in ore # the deep. Narrow
guIcheS or draws that open ou5 into the
creek w ley.
"lie's gone into that draw!' said
Wa ter excl ely. Now we ii get him
ii he hasn't got a deep DIN tLere.
You 90 rou 81 on top OF The h II, to the
head of tic draw. JOIN. and II 20 in o
he draw; II d 4 don't DOT HIM III
there. Nou'Il get a good shot as he
come out.
{" II right" said pennptt. but be
sure and cave me t me cIough to make
the he OF the draw
tun in hand the two men started at
run. Bennett went up over the blu $,
and l,Obb rs hurried up the bed OF tie
gulch
Walter soon reached the entrance to
70 Ky n ten, thickly crown to buHaIo
berry bushes and stunted pi Ie5. Here
he waited. untl he thought Bennett
must surrey ave reached the Lead of
the draw, tn ugh, owing to II sha p
curve the IA, inc, VIII CHI proven ed
HIM from :, eng. he was not able to
deLrrm ne the fact Z then started
hurr eddy up the narrow bu>h-grOwn
waterway, at the bottom, holding his
rifle in read S. for OF.
He soon found h mself entering a
gloomy, pOchet-like ravne, with sides
rough, steep and forb did NJ. He ter
wards admi ted that he knew it to be Il
rash undertaking but he was Diet +.
mired to have abstraction for that
mutton and pushed on with more haste
than prudence, scramb ing over bould-
ers that Law in the bed o the waterway,
and forcing Il passage through lhickets
Of brush that Ovcrhung 1t. A the
time, too. he kept sharp lookout fnl
the panther ~ hich he expected to stirtle
out OF its hiding place by the noise Of
his approach
| He did start the creature pres rntly,
an | knew that he was on its trail: fol
upon several of the big rocks which lay
at the bottom he discovered trace 8 o.
blood where the fresh carcass had beer
dragged over them.
! A M 'meut Later he came to a sharI
curve in the gulch, formed by poin
of rocks iutt NO out into it. Herr TIT
water bed -uddenlv wi 'eued 10 II p al
of hard earth, Oyerhung an d rrkene,
on one side by low, beetling ledge o
red rocks, and shut out on tn oth-r b,
a busy slope. so steep and ragged
that man would have foun / it lif1icul
to climb.
The sun was not ye' very high, anC
the whole gulch was still in shadow; s.
that although Walter had now brough
himself face 10 face with the panlh her
he was first made aware of It's prese &c
by low SNAIL ng that came from tn
Ia SA OF the DrO @ .ti,,U LEDGE
Even then, so da k was the place
that he was o5l ged to look a, 'harpl
as he could to see h m Theo he caugh
first the yellow 81 am Of the creature
eyes and then the outline of its body
drawn up in angr atitud against
dark red b ckgrour d of locks. h
beast clearly meant mischief and ha
no notion Of retrealing from its la
under the lrdgcs
Rob las levelrd his Winrhester anC
with hand that shook W tn excitement
took as good "a" as h. could b
hammer clicked as he pulled the trigger
but there was o report
ie tire the lever forward qu'ckl
and loo ed to see what was the m tie
The barrel was empty hire Was NJ
a cartridge in the magazine
He hal, W tnoat being aware OF !
fred all the cartridg, lher. were N ii
gun at tho panther as it ran I. ON Ii
; pine tree: and hi cartridge belt, at tn,
nome t. lay in The sha In his has
and excitement he had been gross
and stupidity careless.
For an instant he stood still, starin
at the beast. which, still crouchir
there. dashed its 81 les and threatene
him W tn ferocious snarls and fr Oh
I full d splay of its bloody mouth an
wicked look ng fangs
Al He was about to risk retreat. bacl
ward. for he was afraid to turn h fa'
from the brute. When be heard Bsnns